King of Beiyang

Ding Ruchang returned to Liugong Island in Weihaiwei from Tianjin without stopping.

This is the location of the Beiyang Fleet Admiral's Office, and also the current home port of the Beiyang Fleet.

Upon returning to Liugong Island, Ding Ruchang immediately summoned Liu Buchan and Lin Taizeng. The former was the Right Wing Commander-in-Chief and captain of the ironclad warship "Dingyuan," while the latter was the Left Wing Commander-in-Chief and captain of the ironclad warship "Zhenyuan." Both held the rank of Second Grade.

In addition, the captains of the Beiyang Fleet, including the Zhiyuan, Jingyuan, Jingyuan, Laiyuan, and Jiyuan, were all second-rank admirals.

The captains of the "Chaoyong" and "Yangwei" were both officers of the third rank.

"Admiral, does His Excellency have any instructions?" Liu Buchan asked.

The Beiyang Fleet was essentially composed of Li Hongzhang's men.

Or rather, Li Hongzhang was the spiritual leader of the Beiyang clique.

"Gentlemen, the Third Young Master is about to return to China. His Excellency has already smoothed things over for him, arranging for him to serve as the Vice Admiral of the Beiyang Fleet," Ding Ruchang said.

Liu Buchan and Lin Taizeng's expressions changed drastically.

It should be noted that Ding Ruchang was already quite old. The two men, both holding the rank of second-grade general, had been planning to compete for the position of admiral after Ding Ruchang left office.

  

But now, Li Hongzhang has arranged for Li Jingyuan to serve as the deputy admiral of the navy. Isn't it obvious that he intends to take over the admiral's position?

This naturally made Liu Buchan and Lin Taizeng somewhat unconvinced.

"Gentlemen, please don't be resentful; this matter is already settled. I hope that you will cooperate more after the Third Young Master takes office."

Furthermore, there is another highly confidential matter I must inform you of. This matter concerns the very survival of our Beiyang Fleet and must absolutely not be leaked!

Ding Ruchang's expression was serious.

Seeing this commotion, Liu Buchan and Lin Taizeng knew that Ding Ruchang was talking about something important, and they both said they would keep it a secret.

"His Excellency believes that the Japanese have been meticulously expanding their military power in recent years, and their target is very likely us. Perhaps, it won't be long before the Japanese start a war."

The entire navy must intensify its training to ensure that, should a future war break out, the navy can defeat the Japanese!

Ding Ruchang said with a resolute expression.

"Yes, Admiral!" Liu Buchan and Lin Taizeng replied in unison.

"Admiral, the Japanese are very ambitious. In the past few years, they have purchased quite a few warships from abroad. On the other hand, our Beiyang Fleet has stopped purchasing warships from abroad." Liu Buchan couldn't help but feel worried.

"Yes, Admiral. I heard that the navy's ship purchase funds were diverted to build gardens. What should we do if the Japanese attack?" Lin Taizeng was even more dissatisfied.

"Alright, let's stop with these unfounded speculations. As soldiers, if the Japanese attack, what other choice do we have but to fight to the death?"

However, there's no need to worry.

The Grand Secretary informed me that during the years the Third Young Master studied abroad, he amassed a fortune in the German Empire and built a substantial business empire.

To support the development of the Beiyang Fleet, the third son has secretly purchased six large warships of nearly 7,000 tons from the German Empire.

This is a giant ship, second only to the Dingzhen and Zhenyuan!

The students who went to study abroad with the Third Young Master, as well as the officers and sailors subsequently dispatched to Germany, and the retired naval officers and sailors whom the Third Young Master hired from the German Empire, have already taken over those warships.

Training is currently underway.

For secrecy reasons, the fleet will not return home immediately.

Only when the Japanese start a war will the fleet return home to fight and deliver a fatal blow to the Japanese.

Therefore, I am not afraid of the Japanese starting a war; what I fear is that they will not dare to start one.

Ding Ruchang sneered.

Liu Buchan and Lin Taizeng then understood why Li Jingyuan had been appointed as the vice admiral of the Beiyang Fleet.

They were initially quite dissatisfied with this. But now, they had no other thoughts but admiration.

Those were giant ships comparable to the Ding and Zhen ships! And they bought six of them in one go.

Let alone becoming the vice admiral of the Beiyang Fleet, even if he were directly appointed as the admiral, I doubt anyone would object.

"This matter must be kept strictly confidential. Next, we'll wait for the Japanese to start the war. At that time, we can take this opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop!" Ding Ruchang said menacingly.

"Yes, Admiral!" Liu Buchan and Lin Taizeng replied.

"Although the Third Young Master is young, His Excellency has high hopes for him. I won't be serving in the Beiyang Fleet for much longer. When that time comes, the entire Beiyang Fleet will inevitably be handed over to the Third Young Master."

And the third young master will not stay in the Beiyang Fleet forever.

When the time comes, it will depend on your own abilities who will be appointed as the naval admiral.

Or, to put it another way, how much merit have you been able to achieve in the war?

Ding Ruchang continued.

This reassured Liu Buchan and Lin Taizeng.

The cruise ship carrying Li Jingyuan and others arrived at Tianjin Port in mid-October.

After disembarking, Li Jingyuan instructed the elites from the military academy to return to their alma mater for a two-week leave. They were to return to report to him after that.

At that time, the artillery and shells purchased from Krupp, and the rifles, Maxim machine guns and bullets purchased from Ludwig Weller, will also arrive.

The formation of the Marine Corps can then begin.

Less than two years had passed since the First Sino-Japanese War.

With the addition of six "Sea Sky-class" protected cruisers, the Beiyang Fleet should be safe.

As long as the British do not directly intervene in this naval battle, the Beiyang Fleet will have sufficient strength to wipe out the entire Japanese naval force, thereby gaining complete control of the sea.

But winning at sea only means winning half the battle.

We also need to ensure victory on the land battlefield.

The Qing Empire's army, whether it was the Beiyang Army or the Huai Army, was no match for the Japanese army in terms of combat effectiveness, let alone other armies.

Therefore, establishing a new type of army capable of defeating the Japanese invaders on the ground was undoubtedly an urgent matter.

Only by defeating the Japanese devils on both land and sea can we ensure their utter defeat in this battle and truly defy fate!

With the ground forces of both the Beiyang Army and the Huai Army deeply entrenched and their power complex, Li Jingyuan did not intend to touch the interests of those generals for the time being, but instead planned to start anew.

With the elites who studied in the German Empire, the students of the Tianjin Military Academy, and the large amount of advanced weaponry that Li Jingyuan purchased from overseas, it is entirely possible to recruit young men and train a new type of army under the guise of forming a marine corps.

After defeating the Japanese and thwarting their plot, we will then reorganize the ground forces of the Beiyang Army and Huai Army systems and train a new army.

Presumably, by then, no one will be able to stop Li Jingyuan.